John Alverdy, M.D.
Dr. Alverdy is the Sarah and Harold Thompson Professor and Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director, Minimally Invasive
Surgery at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He is an NIH-funded recognized leader in the field
of gastrointestinal defense mechanisms directed at preventing invasion by infectious diseases. His seminal publication
in the July 28, 2005 issue of Science identifies host factors that induce gut

bacterial virulence. He is a member of the Society of Gastroenterologic Surgeons and served on the editorial board of
the Journal of Surgical Research. Dr. Alverdy has published over 100 reviews, textbook chapters, peer reviewed scientific
articles, and abstract.

Eugene Chang, M.D.
Dr. Chang is the Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and the
Co-Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center - Basic Research Faculty. He is the current Chair of the American
Gastroenterological Association Council. His research focuses on intestinal exchange transport proteins and intestinal
mucosal protection. He is an internationally recognized investigator in the field of mucosal cytoprotection from inflammation
and immune-associated injury. He has served as an Associate Editor for Gastroenterology and as a past President of the
Gastroenterology Research Group. Dr. Chang is an author of over 250 textbook chapters, peer reviewed scientific articles and
abstracts.

Elaine Petrof, M.D.
Dr. Petrof is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit,
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario; and formerly Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Clinical
Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics at The University of Chicago Department of Medicine. She has conducted extensive research
in gastroenterology and in infectious diseases affecting the urinary tract. She is a leading researcher on probiotics, or
good bacteria. One of Dr. Petrof’s areas of interest is in studying the molecular basis of the effects of probiotic formulations
in inflammatory bowel disease.